Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Chelsea: Blues' Player Ratings as German team secures a narrow victory | UEFA Champions League 2022-23

Borussia Dortmund came out narrow winners against Chelsea in the first leg of the Round of 16 in the Champions League on Wednesday, 15 February.

Coming into the game, Borussia Dortmund were in a strong vein of form, having won their last six games, including five straight in the league. Youssafa Moukoko missed out with an injury which meant manager Edin Terzic handed a first Champions League start with Dortmund to Sebastian Haller.

Meanwhile, Chelsea made three changes to the team that drew with West Ham United in the Premier League. Benoit Badiashile and Noni Madueke missed out due to UEFA's new signing registration rules, so Kalidou Koulibaly and Hakim Ziyech got the nod. Left-back Ben Chilwell started ahead of Marc Cucurella, marking a return from a long injury.

The first half was overall an end-to-end affair with both teams getting chances to put the ball in the back of the net. Initially, Dortmund enjoyed a good spell of possession as Marius Wolf and Haller spurned good chances.

As the first half progressed, Chelsea got into the game. Joao Felix then missed two glorious chances, one when he sent his shot over the bar after a pass from Ziyech and later, when he received the ball from Kai Havertz only to strike the crossbar.

The first half ended 0-0 as neither team could really gain a sizeable advantage.

The second half started with Chelsea continuing on the front foot, with Reece James winning a free-kick at the edge of the box. He took the ensuing kick, forcing goalkeeper Gregor Kobel into a good save.

The game turned on its head in the 62nd minute after a brilliant solo effort from Karim Adeyemi. Picking the ball up in his own half after a Chelsea corner, he danced past Enzo Fernandez before finishing past Kepa Arrizabalaga to give the German team a lead.

Towards the end of the game, Chelsea tried hard to level the scores but lacked the proper finishing touch. They had a shot saved off the line when Koulibaly's stinging effort was cleared off the line by Emre Can.

Manager Graham Potter looked to his bench and brought on Mason Mount and Marc Cucurella for Mykhailo Mudryk and Ben Chilwell. Enzo Fernandez had a shot saved by Kobel late in stoppage time as the Blues failed to win once again.

Here are the player ratings for Chelsea

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Kepa Arrizabalaga - 6/10

The Spanish keeper largely had nothing to do throughout the game. He was beaten by Adeyemi one-on-one but other than that, it was a quiet outing.

Reece James - 6.5/10

James had a solid game, going ahead and linking up well with the attackers. He also forced a smart save from Kobel off a free-kick. He finished with two shots on target along with two tackles, one interception and one clearance.

Thiago Silva - 6.5/10

Silva was at his usual composed self, having a good defensive performance. He received a yellow card early but was largely solid throughout the game.

Kalidou Koulibaly - 7/10

Having fallen down the pecking order with Badiashile's arrival, Koulibaly seized his chance to start a game and did well. He completed over 90 percent of his passes and also had a shot cleared off the line. He finished with four clearances, two blocked shots and an interception.

Ben Chilwell - 6.5/10

After making his first start in months, following an injury, Ben Chilwell had a decent outing. He looked good in attack, completing three key passes. He was substituted off in the 70th minute by Graham Potter to ease him back in but he looks to have kept his form from before his injury.

Enzo Fernandez - 7/10

World-record transfer Enzo Fernandez once again had a strong performance. He was involved in all facets of the game for Chelsea, with two shots on target, one key pass, one completed dribble, and two tackles.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek - 6.5/10

Loftus-Cheek was once again paired with Fernandez in the midfield and had a reasonable game. He participated well in linking the play between the defenders and the attackers, completing over 90 percent of his passes.

Hakim Ziyech - 6/10

Hakim Ziyech did not have a particularly memorable night. He often cut in from the right hand side and delivered crosses into the box, but they did not have much of an effect.

Joao Felix - 7/10

The Portuguese attacker was probably the best player for Chelsea. He was seemingly everywhere on the field, dropping deep to collect the ball and linked up well with the wingers. He should have scored in the first half but could only strike the crossbar from close range. He finished with five completed dribbles and a pass completion percentage of 91.

Mykhailo Mudryk - 6.5/10

Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk did not have his desired effect on the game. He completed two dribbles and made two key passes, but was largely ineffective and was substituted off for Mason Mount in the 70th minute.

Kai Havertz - 6.5/10

The German striker linked well with the other attackers but could not pose a serious threat to the goal. He set up Felix with a great chance and displayed good hold-up play during counter-attacks.

Substitutes

Mason Mount - 6/10

Mount came on for Mudryk for the last 20 minutes of the game. He could not change the fortunes as the Blues lacked the crucial end product to equalise.

Marc Cucurella - 6/10

Cucurella subbed on for Chilwell for the final 20 minutes. He did not possess the same threat going forward as the Englishman and failed to deliver any dangerous balls into the box.